Taking One for the Team

The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached Part XV

Reflections on the Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5-7

(Commentary by Guy Glass and Scott Hescht)

Matthew 5:38-42 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Scott: This passage has been used frequently to speak out against capital punishment. In other words, if someone murders, they should not have thier life taken as a result. Is that what Jesus' intentions were? Was he speaking against capital, or even more broadly, legal punishment altogether? If so then why did He not rebuke the thief on the cross who declared that his own punishment was just (Luke 23:41)? When the Apostle Paul is standing trial in Acts 25:11, he too implies that in certain cases, the death penalty is just. In the letter to the Romans, Paul declares that the governing authorities bear the sword for a reason (Romans 13:3-4). In other words, they have the right to punish crime.

So did Jesus speak againt the law of Moses here? Jesus has already declared earlier in this sermon that He had not come to abolish the law, but rather to fulfill it. Jesus is not changing the law God gave to Moses. In this sermon, Jesus does a lot of clarifying, but not changing. He clarified that it is not just killing somebody that makes one a murderer, but rather a heart of hatred. He clarified that it is the heart of lust that leads to adultery. Here too, He clarifies that the laws put in place to bring about justice are not to be used as an excuse for personal revenge. Eye for eye and tooth for tooth was set in place to insure that the punishment fit the crime. However, it had been reinterpreted by some in order to enact personal vengeance on those that mistreated them. This sermon is all about love and that is where Jesus continues to point His listeners.

Jesus' followers are to stand apart from the world in the areas of love, mercy and grace. It is the way that the light of Christ shines through us. If you are reading this passage attempting to figure out how many times you can be hit in the mouth before you can hit back, you are missing the point. The message isn't about not using self defense, but rather about being secure enough in Christ's love for you that you do not have to defend your honor. Sacrifice your honor for the sake of a lost and dying world. Yes, that world mistreats you. It is selfish. However, we too were once a part of that world and Christ set us free. We were self seeking, but if you are in Christ that is not you anymore. Seek His honor and not your own. Be a fool in the world's eyes as you seek to go out of your way for those that mistreat you. After all, it is the way of the Master. In His eyes you will be blessed. He has already declared, "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:11-12).